Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania)

__NOTOC__Infobox_nrhp | name =Horseshoe Curve
nrhp_type =nhl


caption =Satellite view of Horseshoe Curve, west of Altoona, Pennsylvania. Trains headed counterclockwise around the curve are going uphill.
nearest_city= Altoona, Pennsylvania
lat_degrees = 40 | lat_minutes = 29 | lat_seconds = 51.42 | lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 78 | long_minutes = 28 | long_seconds = 54.09 | long_direction = W
area =
built =1852
architect= Pennsylvania Railroad
architecture=
designated=November 13, 1966cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=476&ResourceType=Structure |title=Horseshoe Curve |accessdate=2008-07-02|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service]
added = November 13, 1966
governing_body = Norfolk Southern Railway
refnum=66000647 cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2006-03-15|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

Horseshoe Curve is a famous railroad curve in central Pennsylvania in the United States (it is a horseshoe curve).

It was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad and later used by the Penn Central, then Conrail. It is currently owned by Norfolk Southern Railway, and used by Amtrak's "Pennsylvanian" service. It is located in Kittanning Gap at the summit of the Allegheny Front, approximately 5 miles (8 km) west of Altoona. The bend is a tight arc of approximately 220 degrees. It comprises two separate curves; on the north side, the radius measures 637 ft (194 m), tightening to 609 ft (186 m) on the south side. The curve was built in response to the difficulty of constructing a railroad through the summit of the Allegheny Mountains. It was designed by J. Edgar Thomson and Herman Haupt, opening on February 15, 1854. It was such an important location that it was guarded by Union soldiers during the American Civil War and a number of additional conflicts.

The curve has been in nearly continuous operation since 1854. Originally comprising two tracks, it was widened to four tracks 1898–1900. Conrail removed one of the tracks in 1981 and the Curve remains in this three-track configuration. It has long been a popular tourist attraction, and is accessible via the Horseshoe Curve Funicular, a funicular railway running to a small park built by the PRR in 1879 at the summit of the ridge. A visitors' center with a trackside observation area is maintained at the site.

The curve's importance to railroad traffic in the U.S. was such that the Nazis attempted to sabotage it in "Operation Pastorius" during World War II. [cite web| url=http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/Justices/pfeifer/column/2004/jp012104.asp| title=The Nazi Saboteurs| author=Pfeifer, Paul E.| year=2004-01-21| accessdate=2006-06-15| ] The curve was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1966, and is now a part of the National Register of Historic Places.

Altoona's minor league baseball team, the "Altoona Curve", is named after this railroad landmark.

The location is also noted among geologists for its excellent rock outcrops, including the Devonian Catskill Formation. ;
Panorama of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Horseshoe Curve on October 12 1934:
wide image|PRR Horseshoe.jpg|750px;

See also

* Allegheny Portage Railroad
* Kittanning Path
* Tehachapi Loop - actually a spiral
* Hairpin Bend

References

External links

* [http://www.northeast.railfan.net/horseshoe_map.html Northeast Railfan: Horseshoe Curve]
* [http://maps.google.de/maps?f=q&hl=de&q=altoona&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=14&ll=40.497223,-78.48341&spn=0.049017,0.105658&t=k&om=1 Satellite View in Google Maps]
* [http://www.railroadcity.com/hc/index.php Railroaders Memorial Museum guide to Horseshoe Curve]